More than 50 Arizona school districts — and counting — will close during Thursday's statewide #RedForEd walkout as educators push for higher pay and the restoration of $1 billion in cuts to education funding.

The proposal would provide the state's public district and charter schools with $880 million a year more in discretionary funding, and require the state to fully fund Arizona's kindergarten students. It also could provide the state's public universities with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in extra funding, though the exact amount remained unclear.

Campbell said his proposal would serve as a "temporary bridge" to allow voters to potentially approve in the 2020 election a long-term tax measure for education.

Campbell's plan comes as Ducey works to rally state lawmakers to support his proposal to give teachers 20 percent raises by 2020. Ducey has not formally introduced legislation for his proposal, which would still require votes in the House and Senate.

#RedForEd leaders have criticized Ducey's plan, saying it doesn't address all their demands and is unsustainable based on the state's revenue.

Campbell's plan mirrors many components of a plan proposed in December by a coalition of Arizona business leaders, including former PetSmart CEO Phil Francis. Francis and his coalition previously said they planned to bankroll a 1.5 cent sales tax measure on the 2020 ballot — a goal Campbell said he supports.

“The final answer will be with the people of Arizona, and who can argue with that?” Campbell said.

Status of Ducey's plan

The governor and legislators appear to be gridlocked on his teacher pay proposal, which partly relies on rosy revenue projections to help pay for the raises.

Ducey's plan calls for a 9 percent pay raise next year, followed by 5 percent increases the next two years. Coupled with the 1 percent hike already given, it would mean an effective 20 percent raise by the year 2020.

Ducey has also said he intends for his proposal to directly go toward teacher salaries. Details have not been released, but opponents have said the proposal excludes support staff like teacher's aides from the raises.

Lawmakers have expressed skepticism about both the financial footing of Ducey's plan and the method by which the money would be doled out.

Campbell's plan would give school districts and charter schools latitude on how they would spend the sales-tax money.

The schools could put all — or none — of that funding toward educator pay.

“We’re proposing to do what the governor wants to do," Campbell told The Republic, "but it’s just a different manner and we’re dealing with revenue. We’re not dealing with projections of revenue.”

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Looming teacher walkout

Meanwhile, organizers with the grass-roots Arizona Educators United group and Arizona Education Association are proceeding with a Thursday teacher walkout to pressure lawmakers to act on their five funding demands.

Those demands include an immediate 20 percent pay raise, pay increases for support staff and a restoration of about $1 billion in education dollars cut in previous years.

Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott(Photo: Noel Campbell)

It remains unclear how much support Campbell's plan would have among state legislators and Ducey, who won office on a pledge to not raise taxes while in office.

Campbell said he expected criticism from his colleagues.

But the Prescott lawmaker said he felt it necessary to introduce another proposal because state lawmakers remain divided on how to come up with more money for Arizona schools three days before the state's educators plan to walk out of schools.

“It’s not good," Campbell said Monday afternoon. "As of today, we’re complete loggerheads with the governor’s proposal and what the House wants to do."

House Republican leaders have not publicly released a plan, but some budget documents have included proposals to use other education pots of funding to cover the raises.

"And I don’t know how that’s going to be resolved. There’s some pretty hardened attitudes in the House about arm-twisting," he said.

Campbell said his budget amendment proposal is “tailored strictly to help get us through the next three years until we can find a long-term solution for our education priorities."

"Right now, we’re not solving anything because we need the revenue," Campbell said. "There’s not anybody down here who doesn’t know we need more revenue.”

CLOSE

Hundreds of teachers wore red and marched together in Olympic-style procession with their schools along Arizona Avenue in Chandler on Monday. Lorraine Longhi/The Republic

Educator walkout is 'partisan, to a point'

Campbell, as Ducey did in a Monday radio interview, said state lawmakers need to act urgently on education funding as the walkout looms closer.

"There’s no doubt that we need to raise the salaries of our teachers and put more money into our schools," Campbell said.

But Campbell also described the coordinated teacher walkouts as "partisan, to a point."

Campbell questioned the motives of the Arizona Educators United group leading the #RedForEd movement, and those of the Arizona Education Association, the state's teachers' union.

Both groups have criticized state leaders because they believe Ducey and the Legislature have not acted urgently enough to address the $1 billion cuts to education funding over the last decade.

“I think they (organizers) want the Republican majority out of the House and the Senate and they’ll use this strike to influence the public opinion," Campbell said, "and we’re trying to solve the ... problem.”

Republic reporter Richard Ruelas contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at Ricardo.Cano@gannett.com and 602-444-8236. Follow him on Twitter: @Ricardo_Cano1